Mucking and loading machine



June 5, 1945. J. A. HOFMEISTER 2,377,495

MUCKING AND LOADING MACHINE 3 Sheeis-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 23, 1943 66 J I 1 L5 INVENTOR.

56 I fisepfiAJfgme listen J8 J7 J6 20 ATTORNEY.

hm 1945. J. A. HOI -MEISTER 2,377,495

' MUCKING AND LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1943 a Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: BY J e/bSeph A. 5567,

A rro ENE-x June s, 1945.

J. A. HOFMEISTER MUCKING AND LOADING MACHINE Fild Aug. 23, 1943 s Sheets-Sheet s 38 INVENTOR:

BY e se vk A J zlsi'el;

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Patented June 5, 1945 FICE MUCKING AND LOADI NG MAcnmE Joseph A. Hofmeister, Los Angeles; Calif. Application August 23, 1943, Serial No. 499,618 s Clainia- (oi. 214-131) This invention relates to excavatingmachines, and more particularly to a mucking and loading machine.

The general object of the invention is to provide a mucking and loading machine with means whereby the swinging movement of its shovel may be adjusted for loading trucks or diiferent heights.

Another object is to provide an improved mucking and loading machine adjusted to travel smoothly over rough and irregular ground Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my mucking and loading machine, with its shovel shown in its lowermost forward position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. l.

, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my mucking and loading machine with its shovel swung up into its uppermost position, and in the act of swinging rearwardly over its dead center into its dumpin position.

Fig. l is a front elevation of my mucking and loading machine shown traveling over smooth level ground.

. Fig. 5 is .a front elevation of my mucking and I loading machine shown traveling over rough and irregular ground.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modification of my mucking and loading machine with its shovel shown in full lines down in its forward and shoveling position, and shown in dotted lines swung upwardly and rearwardly into its dumping position.

Fig. 7 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section on an enlarged scale of my mucking and loading machine.

Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinalsection taken on line 8-4 of Fig. 7 showing the'clu'tch for controlling the shovel operating mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary rear elevation of a portion of the shovel operating mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line l 0-" of Fig. 1 showing the pivot adjusting means for the shovel arms.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary edge view of the brake for the clutch for controlling the shovel operating mechanism.

Fig. 12 is a perspective of the strut of transverse brace for the shovel supporting frame.

oftfiesheaves mounted on, the shovel supporting i'rame over which sheaves extends the shovelopcrating cable.

Fig. 14 is an edge view of the sheave shown in F18. l3.

Referring more particularly to the annexed drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by-the same reference numerals in all of the figures, my invention includes generally a caterpillar tractor l, a mucking shovel 2; a shovel supporting frame 8 mounted on said tractor and upstanding therefrom, a pair of shovel-carrying arms 4 adjustably pivoted to opposite sides of said supporting frame 3 by pivots E, shovel-operating mechanism 6, and automatic adjusting means i for the forward ends of the, caterpillar treads t of said tractor i, whereby the forward ends of said treads may move up or down independently of each other'to adapt themselves to irregular surfaces of the ground, so thatmy mucking and loading machine may travel smoothly over rough ground. 1

The caterpillar tractor I includes a main frame 9. the endless caterpillar treads: mounted on. oppoiste sides, respectively, of said main frame, an

engine ill mounted on the forward end of said 1 main frame, and a diilerential H and a transmission i2 mounted on the rear part of said main frame whereby said caterpillar treads 8 are driven by said engine I0 through the main shaft 13 and said difierential and said transmission. Each tread 8 comprises a rear end sprocket H, a front end sprocket l5 and an endless" traction chain It extending over said sprockets, and each tread is mounted at its ends in a tread frame I1 including a pair of side beams I8 extending longitudinally at opposite sides, respectively, of the tread, which beams are connected together at their rear ends by a rear end sprocket axle I9 and at their forward ends by a front end sprocket axle 20. The rear end of the main frame 9 is rigidly mounted on said rear sprocket axle IS. The rear sprockets 14 of the caterpillar treads 8 are journaled on the ends, respectively, of said ions 22, respectively, in mesh with sprocket gears v the transmission l2. Brakes 24 are mounted. in Fig. 18 is a side view of a modification-of one rear sprocket axle IS. The front end sprockets ii of said caterpillar treads are journaled on said front end sprocket axles 20. respectively. On

the outer ends of the'transmission shafts 2l extending from the differential l I, are secured pin- 23 secured on the inner sides of the rear end sprockets l4, respectively, of the treads 8 whereby said sprockets and said treads are driven; from said transmission to be applied to the diflferential I shafts 2|, respectively, by operating means 25,

for causing the. treads O to be driven at diiferentspeedsfor steering the tractor I. The outinnatic the tractor I to travel over rough ground, while the forward end of the main frame 9 cf the tractor remains level or parallel to the rear axle l9 of the tractor.

The shovel-supporting frame 3 comprises a pair of upright side members 28 and an adjustable connecting equalizing brace 29 connecting the upper ends of said upright members, which members are secured at their lower ends to the outer side beams l8 of'the tractor tread frames I1, respectively. The brace 29 comprises a strut 88 and two sockets 3|. secured to the inner sides of the frame upright members 28, respectively, at the upper ends of said members, into which sockets the ends, respectively, of said strut are slidably fitted. The sockets 3| are provided with longitudinal slots 32 through which pins 33, respectively, extend radially from the endportions of the strut 33, so that said end portions of said strut may slide inwardly or outwardly in said sockets 3| to permit relative movement of the frame upright members 28, which movement is caused by the relative swinging movement of the tractor treads 8 on the rear axle IQ of the tractor and said treads. The outward moveof the ends of the strut 38 in the sockets 3| is ilmited by the engagement of the pins 33 with the inner ends of the slots 32.

The shovel 2 is secured On the forward ends of the shovel arms 4, and the rear end portions of said arms extend .over the outer sides of the frame upright side .members 28, respectively, and are provided with a plurality of longitudinally-spaced pivot openings 34, while the frame upright side members 28 are provided in their lower portions with a plurality of threaded vertically-spaced pivot openings 35, so that the pivdrums 3B are rotated by the tractor engine |8 for winding said cables on said drums or unwinding said cables from said drums for swinging the shovel 2 on its pivots in one direction or the other. Said driving means43 includes a sprocket 44 secured on the shaft 45 of the tractor engine I8, a sprocket 46 secured on the forward end of a transmission shaft 41, over which sprockets ots 5 of said shovel arms may be extended through any one of the openings 34 in said arms and any one of the openings 35 in said upright framemembers 28, for adjustably pivoting said shovel arms to said upright frame members, whereby the length and elevation of the swinging movement of the shovel 2 may be adjusted for loading trucks of difierent heights. The pivots 5 are bolts, and each thereof is threaded in an opening 35, in one of the frame upright members 28, and is turnably fitted in an opening ,34 in one of the shovel arms 4, so that said'arms may swing on said bolts, while a washer 5' is fitted on each of said bolts between the head of the bolt and the outer side of the shovel arm 4 through an opening 34 in which the bolt extends, whereby the shovel arms are held on said bolts in their operative swinging position.

The shovel operating means 6 includes a pair a spiral drums 36, two pairs of sheaves 31 and 38 journaled in the upper ends, respectively, of the upright frame members 28, a-pairof sheaves 38 journaled on a bail 48 connected to the shovel 2, a pair of sheaves 4| journaled in arms 4| piv: otally mounted in brackets 38 secured on the strut 38 of brace 29,9. cable 42 secured at its ends to said drums36', respectively, and extending over said sheaves, and drivingmeans "whereby said extends a chain 48, a sprccket 43 secured on the rear end of said shaft 41, a sprocket 58 turnably mounted on a .drive shaft 5|, over which sprockets extends a chain 52, a clutch 53 for clutching said sprocket 58 to said drive shaft 5|, or releasing said sprocket 58 from said drive shaft, a beveled pinion 54 secured on the rear end of said drive shaft, and a beveled gear 55 secured on a drum shaft 56 in mesh with said beveled pinion, the drums 36 being secured on the ends, respectively of said drum shaft. The drums 36 are formed, respectively, with spiral grooves 51 which increase progressively in diameter in which grooves the end portions, respectively, of the cable 42 are extended and wound around said drums, and the ends of said cable are secured to said drums at the innermost ends and smallest diameters of the spiral grooves 51.in said drums,

respectively. The sheaves 31 and 38 are journaled in the upper ends of the upright frame members 28 with the sheaves 38 immediately above the sheaves 31, and the cable 42 is extended upwardly and forwardly from the drums 36 under the sheaves 31 and upwardly over the forward edges of said sheaves, and rearwardly and upwardly 58, and a pair of parallel arms 58 extending from the ends, respectively, of said connecting member at right angles thereto, and the ends of said arms are pivotally connected at 68 to the side walls of the shovel 2 near the lower forward corners of said shovel, with said connecting member 58 extending transversely of said shovel at the rear thereof. The sheaves 39 are mounted on the connecting member 58 of the bail 48, near the ends respectively, of said connecting members.

The transmission shaft 41 of the drum driving in a bearing 6| mounted on the tractor engine I8, while the rear end of said shaft is journaled in a bearing 62 mounted on the rear end of the main frame 9. The drive shaft 5| is journaled at its forward end in a bearing 63, mounted on the rear part of the main frame 9, and at its rear end in a bearing 64 formed in a housing 65 enclosing the bevel pinion 54, the bevel gear 55 and the drum shaft 56, which housingis mounted in brackets 66 secured on the rear end of the main frame 9 and extendin rearwardly from said end of said frame. The drum shaft 56 is journaled near its. ends in end bearings 61, in

opposite'endsof the housing 65, and between its ends in bearings 68 in said housing intermediate the ends thereof. The clutch 53 comprises a pair of clutch discs '69 and 183a plurality of cams 1| for engaging said disc 18, an actuating sleeve 12 and .a plurality of links 13 connecting said cams 1|, respectively, and said actuatingslee ve" 12. Th clutch disc 69 is keyed fast on the drive sion at all times.

the clutch disc III is splined on said drive shaft at the forward side of said gear to be moved toward or away from said gear. The cams 1 I, are fulcrumed at 14 to the outer ends of a plurality of arms 15, respectively, secured on the hub 16 of the clutch disc and outstanding from said hub. The actuating sleeve 12 is formed with an angular groove 11, in which is loosely fitted a collar 18 to which collar is pivotally connected at 1-9 an actuating arm 80 which is pivoted at one end at 8| to the main frame '9. To the other end of said actuating arm '80 is connected the rear end of a rod 32, which is connected at its forward end to a hand-operated lever 83 pivoted to the main frame lot the tractor I in position to be grasped by the driver of said tractor for swinging the same.

A brake is mounted on the clutch 53, for braking the cable drums 36, whereby the shovel 2 may be held by the cable 42 against swinging movement on the fulcrum 5 in any position to which said shovel may be swung by said cable. Said brake 84 comprises a, brake drum 35, formed on the clutch disc 10, and a split brake band 86 surrounding said drum, on the ends of which band are secured a pairof lugs 81, respectively, in which lugs is threaded a clamp screw 88 for clamping said brake band on said brake drum or for releasing said band from said drum. On a one end of said clamp screw is secured an arm 33 to which is connected the rear endof a rod 30, which. rod is connected at its forward end to a brake pedal 9| pivoted tothe main frame 9 of the tractor I in position to be depressed by the foot of the driver of the tractor l for turning the clamp screw 88, through the medium of the link 90 and the arm 89, for operating the brake 84.

In Figs. 6, ldand llare shown a single spirally grooved drum 9!, one of which is journaled in the upper end'of each of the upright members 28 of the frame 3, in place of the two sheaves 31 and II. as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, and the cable 42 extends over each of said drums 92 and around the same inthe spiral groove 93 thereof, so that said cable will extend over said drums when the shovel 2 is swung upwardly and rearin Fig. 6. I

The operation of my invention is as follows: .As my mucking and loading machine is driven over rough ground by the tractor! the esterpillar treads 3 swing up and down on the rear axle IQ- of the tractor, so as torest entirely upon. the groundj-andsupport the machine firmly at all times, and as said treads rock up and down the cross bar!" rocks alternately on its pivot 21 with its ends resting upon-the'inner beams ill of the tread frames l'l, wherebythe front end of the tractor ma n tr e land the motor II are supported evenly on the general level of the wardly over the pivot i, as shown in dotted lines tractor l' and without rocking with said treads and the-cable is .With the shovel 2,resting,.-npon the ground in, its lowermost forward position, 'as'shown'in Figs; 1, 2 and infull lines in Fla. 8 loading machine is driven forwardly by the trace tor I. tocaus'ethe' shovel to dig and shovel'dirt until the shovel is filled with I machine is brought to rest by the driver thereof.'-

and the driver, upon grasping the operating lever, clutch I3 to clutch the sprocketk It operates the 4 II to the drive shaft II. so that the drums ii are rotated by t'he tractor engine It, through the unotleave the shesv'einany maintained under even ten- 42 "is wound medium of the sprockets 44 and 46 and chain 48, transmission shaft 41, sprockets 43 and 50, and chain 52, clutch 83, drive shaft 5|, bevel pinion 54, and bevel gear 55 and drum shaft 56, and the cable 42 is wound on the drums 36, causing said cable to travel over the sheaves 31 and 38, 39 and 4| and to swing the shovel 2 and its arms 4 upwardly on their pivots 5 into a position with the shovel slightly rearwardly over its dead center or over said pivots, whereupon said shovel and its arms assisted by the downward and rearward movement of the dirt in the shovels swing down rearwardly by gravity, until the shovel reaches its dumping position over the rear end of the machine, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, in which position the shovel dumps its load of dirt into a truck which. may be driven into position under the shovel to receive the dirt dumped from the shovel. When the shovel swings rearwardly over its pivots5 or over its dead center the cable 42 leaves the sheaves 33 at the rear thereof and extends only around and over the rear of the sheaves 31, and said cable continues to extend around and overs aid sheaves 31'while the shovel is in its position over the rear of the pivots i and in any of its dump- I ing positions.

The shovel 2 may be arrested by the driver of my machine in any of its elevated positions, and

particularly in any of its dumping positions at different elevations corresponding to the heights of the trucks into which the shovel dumps its load of dirt upon releasing the clutch 53 from the drive sprocket 50, by swinging the clutchoperating lever 83 and applying'the drum brake 84 to the drive shaft arms 4 and threading-said pivot bolts into difl'erJ ent openings 35 in the upright members 28 of the shovel supporting frame 3.

When the shovel 2 is in its lowermost forward position for shoveling dirt, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the cabl 42 is unwound from the drums 36 with the exception of the ends, respectively, of the cable, which are secured to the drums in the inner ends andvsmallest diameters of thespiral grooves 5| of the drums, so that when said drums are rotated to swing the shovel upwardly and rearwardly from its shoveling position where the greatest power is needed to swing them at said points of connection of the ends of the cable .42 to said drums, is applied through the cable to the shovel for swinging the same as aforesaid, and as the shovel is swung upwardly and rearwardly, and the power necessary to swing the shovel is progressively decreased, the cable on the drums increasing 'progressivelyin diameter, and the my mucking and! speed of said upward and rearward swinging ,movement of said shovel is accelerated.

j the modification of my invention shown in the cable 42 et-- 3, 13 and ,14,each strand of tends around the single sheave u therein, mean positions in view rally several times around 92 in a spiral of the shovel I,

said sheave and can- 5!, by swinging the brakeoperating lever 89, upon depressing the brake the greatest leverage of the drums,

36 in the grooves 87,

or] the rectum said cable is coiled spi position of the shovel.

v I claim: a a

1. A mucking and loading machine including a tractor with caterpillar treads pivotally mounted at their rear ends on the tractor frame, whereby said treads may swing independently up or down on their pivot, means for operatively mounting theforward end of the tractor frame upon the forward ends of said caterpillar treads, a shovel mounted on said tractor to be swung down forwardly. of said tractor into position for shoveling dirt as the tractor is driven forwardly, and to be swung rearwardly over the rear of said tractor for dumping a load of dirt, and means for swinging said shovel into shoveling or dumping position. i

2. A mucking and loading machine including a tractor, a shovel supporting frame constructed with a pair of upright members mounted on said tractor at the sides, respectively, of said tractor, a shovel. a pair of arms, on one end of which said shovel is mounted, said arms extending from said shovel over said frame upright members and each of said arms being provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced pivot openings in its rear end portion remote from said shovel, said frame upright members being each provided with a plurality of vertically spaced pivot openings, a pair of pivots constructed and arranged to be inserted through any of said pivot openings in said shovel carrying arms, respectively, and secured in any of said pivot openings in said frame upright members, respectively, whereby said shovel and said arms are adjustably pivoted in operative position on said frame upright members, and means for swinging said shovel forwardly and downwardly in front of said tracdownwardly over the rear end of said tractor into .dumping position.

3. A mucking and loading machine including a tractor, a shovel supporting frame mounted on said tractor, a shovel, a pair of arms on one end of which said shovel is mounted, means for adjustably pivoting said shovel carrying arms on said frame whereby said arms may be adjusted as to elevation on said frame, and adjusted as to length, and means for swinging said arms to swing said shovel down in front of said tractor into shoveling position, or to swing said shovel upwardly and downwardly over the rear end of said tractor into dumping position.

4. A mucking and loading machine including a tractor constructed with a main frame and a pair of caterpillar treads pivotally mounted at tor into shoveling position, or upwardly and the rear end of said tractor into dumping position;

5. A mucking and loading machine as claimed in claim 4 in which the equalizing brace of the shovel supporting frame comprises a strut and a pair of sockets secured to 'the'upper ends of the upright frame members, respectively, into which sockets the ends of said strut are slidably fitted.

6. A mucking and loading machine including a tractor constructed with a main frame and a pair of caterpillar treads pivotally mounted at their rear ends on the rear part of said frame at the sides, respectively, of said frame whereby said treads may swing independently up or down on their pivots, means for operatively mounting the forward end of said frame upon the forward ends of said treads, a shovel supporting frame comprising a pair of upright members mounted at their lower ends upon said treads, respectively,

and an equalizing brace connecting the upper and pivoted to said upright members, respectively, a. pair -of drums mounted on said tractor frame, a cable having its ends secured to said drums, respectively, to be wound on said drums, sheaves mounted on the upper ends of the upright frame members, a bail secured to the shovel, a pair of sheaves mounted on said bail and a pair of sheaves mounted on the equalizing brace of the shovel' supporting frame, over which sheaves said cable extends from said drums, and means for rotating said drums for winding said cable thereon or unwinding said cable therefrom, for swinging the shovel forwardly and downwardly in front of the tractor into shoveling position, or upwardly and downwardly over the rear of the tractor into dumping position.

7. A mucking and loading machine including a tractor, a shovel, a pair of shovel-carrying arms, pivotally mounted on said tractor whereby said shovel may be swung down in front of said a tractor into shoveling position, or swung upwardlyand rearwardly into dumping position, a

. of each pair above the other, a pair of. drums treads, respectively, and an equalizing brace connecting the upper ends of said upright members,

so that said members may move relatively to each other with the relative movement of said mounted on said tractor, a cable connected at its ends to said drums, respectively, and extending upwardly and forwardly over the lower sheaves of said pairs of sheaves, respectively, and

extending upwardly, rearwardly, and forwardly over the upper sheaves of said pairs of sheaves,

to said shovel, and means for rotating said drums for winding said cable thereon or unwinding saidcable therefrom, whereby said shovel: may beswung forwardly and downwardly in front of said tractor into shoveling position, or upwardly, and rearwardly over saidsheaves into dumping position.

8. A mucking and loading machine including a tractor, a shovel, a pair of shovel-carrying arms pivotally mounted on said tractor; whereby said shovel may be swung down in front of said tractor into shoveling position or swung upwardly and rearwardly into dumping position, a pair of uprights mounted on said tractor at the sides there- 2,377,495 I of, respectively, a sheave journaled oneach of said uprights, a pair of drums mounted on said tractor, a cable mounted at its ends to said drums,

and coiled respectively, and extending upwardly around said sheaves and extended forwardly to said shovel in its shoveling position, means for operatively connecting said cable to said and means for rotating said drums shovel,

for winding said cable thereon or unwinding said cable therefrom, whereby said shovel may be swung forwardly and downwardly in front of said tractor into shoveling position, or swung upwardly and rearwardly over said sheaves into dumping position.

JOSEPH A. HOFMEISTER. 

